


Shoulders

by chronicAngel



Series: Leaves in the Summer [61]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Oaths & Vows, POV Third Person, Responsibility, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-14 13:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13590789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: "A lot of responsibility has just been placed on your shoulders," she says when they find a moment to themselves, looking at him with such affection that it almost brings color to his cheeks. He cannot recall anyone other than Konohamaru-sensei (and Naruto when he thought he wasn't paying attention) looking at him that way.





	Shoulders

Mitsuki is slated to be inaugurated as the head of the Senju clan in the middle of December, only a week after Yamanaka Inojin's birthday. _Only an hour from now_ , he thinks, staring at himself in the mirror in leftover shock. Though Tsunade (his _mother_ , technically) told him that she wanted him to take the position from her four months ago, he has still been having trouble fully convincing himself that this is real. When he decided that he was going to walk his own path, separate from his parent, he didn't envision becoming the head of one of the oldest clans in the Land of Fire as part of that path.

"So when you told us that Orochimaru was your parent, did you not know about Tsunade-bā-sama or was it just supposed to be your little secret?"

He glances up from where he has been zoning out in the mirror to see his childhood teammates, one wearing a dopey grin and the other with a rounded belly that she rests her hands on as though trying to still something. From the complaints he has heard, their daughter has been anything but inactive and he imagines she has not taken a break for his inauguration ceremony. With a smile that's too soft at the edges, he shrugs with one shoulder. "I knew of her contribution to my genes, yes. I didn't realize she considered me family until a few months ago."

Boruto snorts. "That's fancy talk for _I didn't know_."

The two of them exchange a high five and then Sarada, whose abdomen is so large that she has to half-waddle closer to him, begins fussing over his kimono. "Of course you wouldn't realize that. That doesn't matter though. You've been wearing kimono your whole life and you still can't pick something with sleeves that are the right length? You know that covering your hands isn't exactly high fashion, right? I mean, as shinobi it makes sense because it makes it easier to conceal hand signs and weapons, but this isn't a mission, Mitsuki, it's your inauguration ceremony as the head of a very big and important clan." She pauses, inhaling sharply, and looks at him with suddenly wet eyes. "Oh, I can't believe you're going to be the head of the Senju!" He makes a face when she wraps her arms around him tightly and starts crying into his shoulder.

He has heard that pregnancy makes women in general emotional due to hormones, and he's even gotten confirmation from Boruto that Sarada has been particularly spiked, but he's been assuming she would be angry for no reason after their childhood. This is not anger and he's rightfully confused. "You're going to get makeup on my hakama, Sarada," he protests after a minute, and she immediately steps backward.

"Right, right, I'm sorry." She sniffs and then her eyes are as fierce as he's used to. "You'd best have all of your oaths memorized because I have to pee in like, ten minutes, and this iromuji is hotter than Papa's katon."

He chuckles and nods. He's been obsessively reading the oaths as recorded by Senju Butsuma since the afternoon he was first told he was being made heir to the clan as a bit of a nervous habit and can safely say he knows them better than Tsunade herself probably does.

His attention is drawn to the entrance of the shrine when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning quickly on his heels, he stands rigid as opposed to immediately entering a defensive position when he sees Tsunade and Konohamaru-sensei. "If I didn't know you I'd say you almost look like a responsible adult!" Their sensei beams at him as he approaches, and they all choose not to bring up the fact that Mitsuki and Boruto both have at least an inch on him at this point.

"I should hope so, considering the responsibility I'm going to be taking on today," he responds instead, smiling once more now that he's surrounded by his complete childhood squad (plus half of the pair that contributed his genes). Of all of the clan heads in the village, these are the ones he is most comfortable around, and he is going to be relying on his old friends not to let him recede into his typical introverted nature once others begin to arrive.

"You don't really have room to talk, anyway, Konohamaru-sensei," Sarada adds.

Konohamaru scowls and sulks into a corner, arms crossed over his chest.

Aburame Shibi is the next person to arrive and Mitsuki wonders not for the first time why Shino-sensei isn't the head of the Aburame clan yet when he will be 42 in a month. Boruto's aunt sneaks up on them, practically tackling her nephew who, for his part, somehow seems to expect it. To no one's surprise, Chōji, Ino, and Shikamaru slide in together at the last minute with Ino talking the boys' ears off and Shikamaru looking bored and distant while Chōji, at least, has the decency to look properly chastised. With their arrival, all of the old clans of the village have representatives present and there is no more reason to wait.

He stands at the front of the shrine, facing out toward the group, and takes a deep breath. Except for Aburame Shibi, who stands in a corner looking uncomfortable, everyone sits and watches him closely as though scanning him for the smallest flaw or error. He feels his social anxiety from childhood stirring in the pit of his stomach and there's a minute where he wonders if he can't cancel the ceremony this close to its beginning. Almost the second the thoughts start to surface, he feels a cold, steadying hand on his shoulder and looks over to see not Sarada but Tsunade giving him a meaningful, reassuring look. When he turns back toward the small crowd, he allows his focus to zero in on Boruto and Sarada, who sit in one of the back corners of the shrine grinning at him. Sarada smacks Boruto's shoulder with her fan when he leans over to whisper and Mitsuki feels his shoulders relax a fraction.

He waits for Tsunade to finish her spiel before he starts on his own speech and is thankful for the time he has to recollect his thoughts. Finally, he takes a deep breath and watches the faces of the people in front of him. "I, Mitsuki," his eyes flit to Tsunade for a moment before he plows forward nervously, "son of Tsunade and heir to the Senju clan of Konohagakure, stand before you to claim my title as head of the clan. I swear to defend Konohagakure for as long as I may live, with life and limb if need be, to ensure the safety of those living in the village and those who are allied with it. I swear to uphold the great laws of the shinobi for as long as I may live, or until I am no longer able to do so. I swear to do whatever is possible to ensure the survival of the Senju clan and its ideals, while upholding a proper moral standard."

He stands in front of the group for nearly an hour, talking until his throat is sore and he feels as though even the most stern clan heads are beginning to nod off. The vows are traditional, but that doesn't make them interesting.

Finally, he reaches the end of what he memorized from the scrolls, and Tsunade takes a step forward. She offers him a scroll and they both straighten. Biting just under his thumbnail until blood begins to bead up, he writes the kanji of his name in neat, dark red lettering.

巳月

They stay at the shrine for what feels like hours afterward, with her proudly speaking of how much he has achieved in his twenty years and him holding her back whenever someone (usually Boruto) jokingly comments on the fact that this makes her the clan elder, which is an achievement in and of itself. "A lot of responsibility has just been placed on your shoulders," she says when they find a moment to themselves, looking at him with such affection that it almost brings color to his cheeks. He cannot recall anyone other than Konohamaru-sensei (and Naruto when he thought he wasn't paying attention) looking at him that way.

"I'm proud of you, kid."

**Author's Note:**

> I always try to be accurate to Japanese culture, but I could find pretty much nothing on inauguration ceremonies or clans in general, so this is probably the least culturally accurate of my fics. It felt like something that would go down in the Narutoverse, though, so hopefully that buys me some "authenticity points".


End file.
